Just downloaded Batch Compiler and don't know what the hell to do with it? This little tutorial should cover everything you need to know from how to set it up to how to compile your first map.

First things first, if you don't already have the program head over to the downloads page, pick it up and install it. The installer is a standard Windows installer so I will leave that to your imagination.

Once you have installed Batch Compiler start the program up. If you get an error when you run it then you need the .NET framework which is linked to on the downloads page. Batch Compiler should look like this when you start it up:

Now some of you may have noticed that there are no controls for compiling your map on the form. This is because Batch Compiler 3.0.0 (and up) work with Batch Compiler Specification (BCS) files. These wonderful dynamic configuration files allow you to use Batch Compiler to compile just about anything that makes use of a batch file, be it a Half-Life 2 map (which this tutorial works on), a map for another game, or even such things as applications.

Before we take a look at these specifications, it is a good idea to make sure they are all up to date. To do this, select Check For Updates from the Help menu. This will bring up a dialog which can be used to update all official specification files. Clicking Update will do just that. It is reccomended that you check for updates every so often to make sure you have the latest specification for the latest updates to the tools.

Six specifications come with Batch Compiler (they can be found under the Specifications menu). They are:

You're welcome to use any specification you wish, I would, however, recommend the Source Tools Normal specification because if you are reading this, you are probably a new user. You can always upgrade to the Source Tools Advanced specification latter. If you are reading this tutorial you are setting Batch Compiler up for Source mapping so make sure you pick one of the specifications that has the word Source in it. To load the specification simply click it in the Specifications menu. Your screen should look like this:

Now that we have the specification open, we need to proceed to set Batch Compiler up to use it. In the Options menu click the Setup button. Your screen should look like this:

The General tab contains information specific to the editor itself. Its options are:

Opacity: Set the opacity of the program (make it see through).

Log Viewer: Set the program Batch Compiler uses to view LOG files.

Recent Files: Set the number of recent files to store, this is used for both BCP and MAP files.

When you first start Batch Compiler, Batch Compiler will try to find NotePad using system path variables and set it as your Log Viewer. If your Log Viewer is not set you will have to manually browse for an appropriate application. Some appropriate standard windows applications include NotePad and WordPad.

Once you are happy with your settings in the General tab, move over to the Stage Paths tab. Your screen should look like this:

The Stage Paths tab allows you to set the paths to all the tools used in your current specification. To begin specifying the paths select the BSP tool from the list of tools on your screen. Once selected the bottom text box on the form changes its caption to read BSP Path, its browse button also becomes active as shown below:

Now simply press the browse button (the button with the three dots) and browse to the file located on your hard drive. This file is part of the Source SDK and can be found in the folder ...\Steam\SteamApps\address@host.com\sourcesdk\bin. Continue this process for all the reaming tools. Your screen should look something like this:

Once you are happy with your settings in the Stage Paths tab, move over to the Variables tab. Your screen should look like this:

The Variables tab allows you to set the paths to various other resources used in your current specification. These paths are set in a similar mannor to those of the Stage Paths tab and should be set as follows:

Day of Defeat: Source: ...\Steam\SteamApps\address@host.com\day of defeat source\dod\maps

Your form should look something like this when you're all done:

Once you are happy with your paths click the OK button to return to Batch Compiler's main screen. We are now going to go through the steps for creating a generic "Fast" compile preset which you can use for all your maps. Please continue to the next page.

Hello.I'm wondering how to get this to work with ep2/Orangebox games.I tried many ways to make it work but it always seems to be missing all the materials/models in the map and it crashes on Building Physics collision data.

Hey guys, I added Garry's Mod to the base settings for the Steam tab. You can now select it in the drop-down game menu. This is the "Steam.BCI" file that goes in "Specifications" in your Batch Compiler folder.